The Port Jefferson Free Library, 100 Thompson St., Port Jefferson presents The Homegrown String Band in concert Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.
The Homegrown String Band™ celebrates the American tradition of families making music together. This family band’s repertoire includes a healthy portion of early country music classics by the likes of The Carter Family and Delmore Brothers, along with a tasty sprinkling of original material inspired by the rural American string band and folk traditions of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. Comprised of husband and wife plus daughter, this dynamic trio adds their own musical DNA to an American tradition, taking you on a musical journey from ancient ballads of the British Isles to blues and bluegrass of the twentieth century.
The family has been performing together for twenty-five years, playing such venues as The National Theatre in Washington DC to the Festival of American Music in Branson Missouri.
Open to all. Pre-registration is necessary to keep the music flowing. Sign up at portjefflibrary.org, or call 631-473-0022 to reserve a seat.
The Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus (LIGMC) is celebrating Pride with a musical road trip – and you’re all invited to join them in traveling to “Destination – Anywhere!”
Featuring the works of Stephen Sondheim, Walt Whitman, John Denver, Peter Allen, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra and more, LIGMC’s “Destination – Anywhere!” concerts are set for 8 p.m. on Friday, June 10 at Saint Francis Episcopal Church, 1692 Bellmore Ave., North Bellmore; 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook, 380 Nicolls Road, Setauket/E. Setauket; and 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 12 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 12 Prospect St., Huntington.
“LIGMC began our journey to ‘Destination – Anywhere!’ all the way back in the winter of 2020, so we are thrilled that our audience will at long last join us on this wonderful musical trip,” Bradley Meek, President of the LIGMC Board of Directors, said. “I am so proud of the hard work and dedication that LIGMC’s 17 members are dedicating to making this a concert season to remember and cherish.”
Upon its completion, the full trip will have included several musical pitstops. On April 2, LIGMC ventured into the wonderful world of drag at its sold-out “Broadway’s a Drag!” cabaret at Sayville VFW Post 433. On Saturday, June 4, LIGMC will be previewing selections from “Destination – Anywhere” at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre as part of the Long Island Gay & Lesbian Film Festival’s arts pride event. And, after the season is complete, LIGMC is scheduled to sing the national anthem for the Long Island Ducks on Friday, July 22.
“It is always a joy to work with this dedicated, enthusiastic – and growing! – group of singers,” LIGMC Artistic Director Jeanette Cooper said. “Filled with musical twists and turns, ‘Destination – Anywhere’ is bound to have something for everyone. We hope to see you at an upcoming performance and look forward to celebrating Pride with you!”
Tickets are $25 and are available for purchase at the door or online at www.ligmc.org.
About the Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus (LIGMC)
The Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus is a voluntary, not-for-profit, community-based organization that provides diverse audiences with high-quality choral performances and musical experiences. LIGMC uses music to unite the LGBTQ community, fight prejudice and discrimination, affirm the contributions of the LGBTQ community to the region’s cultural life.
Long Island Chamber Music (LICM) will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium on Friday, July 23, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Mansion Courtyard.
Songs of Celebration is a joyous program of song and dance music. The playbill will span multiple genres including traditional folk, baroque, and jazz from the swing era arranged for violin, viola, cello, clarinet, and French horn.
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, is located at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport. Tickets are $20 per person, $15 members. Bring your own chair & picnic. To order, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
__________________________
LICM is an arts organization that provides exceptional classical music concerts, community events, educational programs, and private lessons for Long Island communities.
Programming is tailored to each individual event. The organization works with its community partners, educators, students, and individual patrons to creatively select and arrange music that is thematically relevant and compelling to listeners.
LICM musicians are of the highest caliber, drawn from Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Astral Artists, and several other of the country’s most prestigious musical institutions. Visit lichambermusic.com for more information.
On Saturday, April 24th, forty-one SUNY schools collaborated to present a first-ever Virtual Concert Festival! SUNYFEST 2021 will be headlined by Kesha and AJR will be the opening act.
AJR
Prior to the headlining and opening act, the concert festival will feature student performers from a multitude of SUNY campuses, along with spotlight videos of each SUNY campus involved in the festival.
SUNY Suffolk County Community College will feature three performances, The Hims led by Ammerman’s Len Lopez, Jack Zuckerberg , and his band, Vicious Summer from the Michael J Grant Campus and Deanna DeMola also from Ammerman Campus.
Kesha, the global sensation, brings her two number one albums and four number one songs along with 40 million followers on social media to our virtual stage. AJR, the multiplatinum trio of brothers will open for Kesha.
Join them for this historic festival bringing the SUNY community together like never before.
To register for this free event click on this link.
Jack Licitra & Camryn Quinlan. Photo from Staller Center
Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University and musician Jack Licitra team up once again to offer an uplifting and healing concert, virtually, on Monday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m.
Titled “Let the Music Heal Your Soul” the concert offers the usual funny songs and crazy antics while touching on some serious issues of loneliness for kids during the pandemic. Jack Licitra believes music is critical to healing and happiness. “Music can heal your soul,” says Licitra, “talking about all of the feelings, and singing about them, using yourself as the instrument, using hand movements and symbols, it can help to heal your soul … it all helps kids get those feelings out in the open, and it shows them that they’re not alone.”
The Staller Center and Jack Licitra have paired up in the past to offer concerts through the Staller Center’s Outreach and Education Program at local nonprofits, libraries, and at the Staller Center itself. “There are a lot of other kids that feel disconnected from their friends … that’s why we wanted to offer this concert as a resource, to try to help them feel more connected to other kids that are feeling more alone than usual,” says Paul Newland, Outreach Director for the Staller Center for the Arts.
“Let the Music Heal Your Soul” by Jack Licitra and Friends uses music in a healing way by taking familiar melodies, rhythms, and chord progressions, to create a shared community consciousness. The concert features performances by Jack Licitra, Katie Monhan, Camryn Quinlan, and Brian Licitra.
Jack Licitra is a Sayville-based piano/hammond organ driven singer/songwriter; music educator; founder of the music-teaching studio South Bay Arts in Bayport. He has performed with some of the best musicians in the world such as Levon Helm, Jimmy Vivino and Bakithi Kumalo as well as opening shows for legends such as Richie Havens, Buckwheat Zydeco, Pinetop Perkins and even playing for then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Grounds & Sounds Cafe at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 380 Nicolls Road, E. Setauket welcomes singer/songwriter Robert Bruey in concert on Friday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Influenced by such diverse artists as Dave Matthews, Van Morrison and Waylon Jennings, Bruey presents well-crafted songs in his own soulful style. Tickets are $15 in advance at www.groundsandsounds.org or at the door. For more information, call 631-751-0297.
Grounds and Sounds Cafe at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 380 Nicolls Road, E. Setauket welcomes Toby Walker in concert on Friday, July 12 at 8 p.m. Hailed as an award-wining roots guitar virtuoso and songwriter, Walker blends the styles of blues, ragtime, country, bluegrass, old-time jazz and rock in his music. Tickets are $15 at the door or at www.groundsandsounds.org. For further info, call 631-751-0297.
Music lovers who enjoy taking a trip down memory lane will be in for a treat Feb. 9 at Theatre Three. Long Island performer Amber Ferrari returns to the Port Jefferson venue with “Joplin’s Pearl Featuring Amber Ferrari,” a production that celebrates singer Janis Joplin’s musical legacy.
The show is described on the theater’s website as a two-act musical explosion. While the second act is jam-packed with the music of Joplin including “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Piece of My Heart,” the show opens with a mixture of hits from various artists.
Amber Ferrari. Photo by Rich Balter
Reached by phone, Ferrari said she will be singing musical hits from legends throughout the decades, including Pat Benatar, Linda Ronstadt, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Queen, Led Zeppelin and Carole King. The singer said she also plans on performing one of her own songs.
Ferrari’s artistic relationship with Theatre Three began in 2005 when she performed in the venue’s “Woodstock-mania: Woodstock in Concert,” a show that inspired her to create “Joplin’s Pearl.” The singer said through the years she has performed the Joplin musical performance many times at the Port Jeff venue and also debuted her shows dedicated to Pat Benatar and Madonna there. Last summer, she once again participated in “Woodstock-Mania.”
“That’s my home theater, that’s my heart and soul,” said Ferrari.
Douglas Quattrock, Theatre Three’s artistic associate and director of development, said he is looking forward to Ferrari returning to the theater with the show.
“I am thrilled to have Amber back at Theatre Three,” Quattrock said. “Her show is always filled with an incredible amount of energy, and her audiences always get a first-rate performance.”
The February performance follows a busy few months for Ferrari who presented her “Material Girl Featuring Amber Ferrari” at 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue last month and Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub in Smithtown last October as well as her Joplin show at Riverhead’s Suffolk Theater back in November.
On the night of Feb. 9, in addition to paying tribute to Joplin, the singer said she is looking forward to performing a Queen number. Ferrari said she feels the show has something for everyone and hopes audience members will enjoy how she and her band interpret the music of all the artists she is featuring.
“I’m hoping the people who don’t like a specific artist will just enjoy the way we do it because I don’t try to imitate anyone,” Ferrari said.
The singer said at the Feb. 9 performance bass player Michael Chiusano, guitarist Chris Ferrari, keyboardist Chris Cuvier, drummer Gary Gonzalez and percussionist Jim Carroll will join her on stage. She will also perform with a horn section that includes Lenny La Pinta on alto/tenor sax, Jonathan Holford playing baritone sax, Dan Yeager on trumpet and trombonist Tim Cassera.
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson will present ‘Joplin’s Pearl Featuring Amber Ferrari’ on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39. For more information or to order, visit www.theatrethree.com or call 631-928-9100.
For more information on Amber Ferrari, visit www.amberferrari.com.
Save the date! Grounds & Sounds Café, located at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 380 Nicolls Road, East Setauket will welcome acoustic, folk, classical and blues singer/songwriter Bob Westcott, left,in concert on Friday, Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. The evening will be preceded by an open mic at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 per person at www.groundsandsounds.org or at the door. For more information, call 631-751-0297.
Comsewogue High School will be rockin’ for a good cause July 19 with John Elefante, former lead singer of the American classic rock group Kansas.
A concert — called A Night of Hope — is being presented by the Warriors of Faith Christian Club, a group of Comsewogue students who organized the event to benefit the family of Brian McGuire, a district resident, former NYPD detective and 9/11 first responder who died suddenly April 30, leaving behind three children and his wife Karin, according to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family. The event is meant to raise money for the family and for attendees to gather for prayer and discussion, according to a flyer promoting the concert.
Joining Elefante will be Kevin Chalfant, former lead singer for the Alan Parsons Live Project and former member of the world-renowned 1980s rock group Journey.
A benefit concert is being held at Comsewogue High School July 19 at 7 p.m. to benefit the family of a late community member.
Chalfant said he is eager to perform and was dedicated once he was informed about the circumstances surrounding the benefit.
“When John Elefante asked me to join him on Long Island for this wonderful family get together I was very happy,” Chalfant said. “I never knew the officer but when I heard that he was a first responder on 9/11, that’s all it took for me to be committed to this wonderful event.”
The money donated through ticket sales and a silent auction will go toward paying for college educations for the McGuire’s three kids. Their oldest son, Thomas, graduated from Comsewogue June 21, and will be attending Suffolk County Community College in the fall. Their son Michael will be entering 11th grade this upcoming school year, and their daughter, Danielle, will be heading to eighth grade.
Local businesses including Chick-Fil-A, School of Rock, and Wahlburgers, among others, as well as clergy from Axis Church of Medford, Harbor Church of Patchogue, Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, and the Christian Cultural Center in Smithtown are working together to promote and organize the event along with the Comsewogue students. All of the funds raised will be directed to the McGuire family.
Pastor Anthony Pelella of Axis Church is one of those coordinating the event, and said he wanted to be involved just to help a family in need.
“We just wanted to give them something to make them smile,” he said.
Pelella will be delivering a message of hope prior to the concert. He said he believes in the notion that the Port Jefferson community is an extremely interconnected and faith driven place to reside.
“I believe that the Port Jefferson community hurts together,” He said. “When one person hurts we all hurt together, and when one person smiles we all smile together.”
Comsewogue school board President John Swenning also said he is looking forward to the event and raising funds for the cause. While Swenning is not the main coordinator of the concert, he said he is putting his full effort behind it and working to maximize the aid the concert generates for the McGuire family.
“It is humbling to see a community come together to help a neighbor in their time of need,” Swenning said. “There is no place I would want to raise a family other than the Comsewogue community.”
The silent auction will consist of gift baskets and guitars autographed by Elefante and Chalfant.
Assigned seat tickets can be purchased at www.comsewoguehs.seatyourself.biz. Special tickets are also for sale for a meet and greet and dinner with the band, with food provided by Wahlburgers. Tickets for the meet and greet dinner are being sold by Axis Church, which can be reached by emailing [email protected]. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Comsewogue High School. Standard admission tickets will also be sold at the door.
